Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/924029
4 UCW JANUARY 10-16, 2018 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM PUBLISHER'S PEN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Leslie Pyo leslie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Earl Vaughan Jr. GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Long art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erica Walls, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Paul Hall, Lau- ren Vanderveen SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly wel- comes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Cover art/Various ads with art graphics designed with various elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. City Council: If you're scared, don't show it ... by BILL BOWMAN Business-wise, 2017 was a great year, but I'm especially excited about 2018. Fayetteville and Cumberland County are flush with opportunities to stimulate our economy, advance our reputation, solidify our brand and enhance our quality of life. e big ques- tion looming out there is whether we have the leadership in place to take advantage of these opportunities. After attending the first planning session of the new Fayetteville City Council, I must admit I was slightly disap- pointed at the reluctance of several council members to step up and take leadership positions on two major local initiatives. Both initiatives – Pathways to Prosperity and city support for the proposed NC Civil War & Reconstruction History Center – were obviously relevant and potentially beneficial to the residents of Fayetteville. Instead of evaluating these projects on their merits and how they could positively impact the community, council members seemed to be reluctant and overly con- cerned about how their constituents would perceive and react to their decisions. is concern, rather than a will to provide the leadership and direction for which they were elected, was the focus. This preoccupation is concerning. They are all intelligent and capable peo- ple with good intentions and judgment. Why the reluctance? Doing the right thing for the right reasons never war- rants an apology. That's real leadership, and real leadership inspires vision and aggressive action. The city of Fayetteville is desperately in need of both if it is to succeed in growing the community. This is reality, not negativity. I was trying to think of a relevant New Year's resolution I could bestow on our new Fayetteville City Council in the hope it may provide council members inspiration and confidence to be aggressive in their thinking and decision-making. As I was driving through the frozen, snow-covered mountains of West Virginia this weekend, a popular country song by Rodney Atkins came on the radio and provided me the idea for my resolution. e song is "If You're Going through Hell." How appropriate. Atkins sings out an upbeat message of perseverance that could serve to shore up anyone's confidence and resolve. It goes like this: If you're going through hell Keep on going, don't slow down If you're scared, don't show it You might get out Before the devil even knows you're there Yeah, if you're going through hell Keep on moving, face that fire Walk right through it You might get out Before the devil even knows you're there It's a fun and catchy tune with a great mes- sage. Check it out: www.YouTube/Rodney Atkins. You'll be humming it all week. So, there you have it. My musical New Year's gift and message to the new city council. Lyrics to live and survive by. Work hard, keep on going, don't slow down, and, if you're scared – don't show it! All while continuing to serve and do the right things for the Fayetteville community. You can never go wrong doing the right things for the right reasons. Here's wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year. ank you for read- ing and supporting Up & Coming Weekly and allowing us to serve you. Expect only the best from our publications as we ex- pect only the best for this community. HIGH 66 HIGH 67 HIGH 55 HIGH 48 HIGH 47 HIGH 48 JANUARY 11 JANUARY 12 JANUARY 13 JANUARY 14 JANUARY 15 JANUARY 16 Showers Showers AM Showers Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy Mostly Sunny LOW 55 LOW 28 LOW 31 LOW 48 LOW 36 LOW 29 Country singer Rodney Atkins has an inspiring message for Fayetteville's new city council members.